Three Minute Matinee

I'm still having trouble surfacing from the depths of The Third Colony. While i'm enjoying the progress there, that's not very entertaining for you. And not getting to sleep until the sun interrupts the work doesn't help get posts up early in the day, that's a certain. So, rather than ramble today, let's just sit back and enjoy a triple-feature from my favourite acting troupe of the 1940s - Ed Wheelan's Minute Movies players.

Okay, maybe no rambles, but one quick comment. The opening panel on this first one makes me think that some of the European comic artists i encountered back in the '70s and '80s were fans, too...

I don't know about every month in Flash Comics, but we'll surely see some more here eventually.

But, now i'm off to work on Big Sys...

page art by Ed Wheelan from Flash Comics #s 36, 40, & 41 (1942, 1943)

Rockin' With Ed

Well, i didn't think we'd be getting back to Ed Wheelan for a bit. And when we did, i thought we'd be going to the Circus. But... nope. When i sat down this morning to do a post, the brain went cave crawling.

So - let's take a gander at Rockhead McWizzard - The Stone Age Genius. You didn't think it was only boy genius/inventors that appealed to me, did you?

Rockhead wasn't around for very long - fewer that a dozen and a half adventures. He premiered in Flash Comics cover dated June 1946, with an almost simultaneous second appearance in Green Lantern's June/July issue. Aside from that GL, he also appeared in one issue of Wonder Woman, one issue of All-Flash Comics, and two issues of All-Star Comics. Beyond that, he had stories in about a dozen issues of Flash, appearing throughout 1946, then irregularly for a few more tales, always three pages short. (It seems wrong to use the word 'long' with only 3 pages)

Here are his first half dozen appearances from Flash Comics -

Rockhead McWizzard, ladies and gentlemen - the inventor of the Hot Bath!

page art by Ed Wheelan from Flash Comics #s 71-76 (1946)

Just A Minute Or Two

Brain declined invitation to join us today.
Here's a couple classic fairy tales adapted by the Minute Movies troupe from Ed Wheelan.

Now me go find eat things.

page art by Ed Wheelan from Flash Comics #s 32 & 38 (1942, 1943)

Wheelan's Weekend Film Festival - Matinee Performance

We continue from this morning's post with our look at Minute Movies from ...  is it Ed Wheelan or Art Hokum?

I guess it depends on one's frame of reference.

Let's start off with the lovely Hazel Dearie in a starring role -

As i noted last time, the concept of using a regular team of 'actors' starring in an anthology series is a rather brilliant notion. Not only does it dramatically reduce the character design stage, it creates a framework to have fun. And have fun exploiting the notion Wheelan did -
 

There ya go - our director, Art Hokum, as teased last time. He'll show up more, when he's not working on his autobiography (That's Why Hokum Was Born or No Runs, No Hits, One Error). 

While having fun with the format, Ed even stepped outside of movies with his ensemble troupe -
 

Matinee Bonus!
It's a Matinee Performance, so let's have a Matinee Performance, eh?
 

Well, you can't find Minute Movies every month in Flash Comics any more. But, i suspect we can find a few more around these parts before too long.

page art by Ed Wheelan from Flash Comics #s 20, 30, 37, & 39, (1941, 1942, 1943)